Confrontations
by Veloxity
Summary: Shina must confront her own inner motivations when a chance meeting with ShenLong stirs up unforseen feelings. The language is strong, the violence graphic and there might be some adult themes in here, soon.
1. Surprise!

This is a work of fiction based on Bloody Roar characters, which I do not   
own. Don't expect Uriko or Kenji to make many appearances in this and   
I'll use what names for them I want to! =P Other than that, flame away.  
  
  
  
She sat slumped as much as possible in the tight quarters of the heavily   
armored van, left hand raised to fan herself in the oppressive heat of   
the Brazilian jungle. All around her were mercenaries doing the same   
if they weren't busy getting some much needed sleep. No matter what they   
were doing, they all kept one hand on the assault rifle they each had   
across their lap. The young woman was dressed much the same as the   
others, although she was the only female, wearing a pair of fatigue pants   
with a dark brown tank top covering her muscular upper body. Over the tank   
top was stifling Kevlar, but she was used to that. Guns and knives, all   
blacked so as not to flash in the light, were sheathed all over her body,   
even in the tops of heavy-duty boots laced tightly. Shina couldn't sleep.   
She'd been in warfare since the tender age of fourteen, courtesy of her   
father, legendary fighter Alan Gado, but still she couldn't shake the   
adrenaline rush of battle like the others could. The coming fight was all   
she could concentrate on.  
  
The van lurched to a halt and Shina turned slightly in her seat to peek   
through the tiny window of bulletproof glass in the side of the vehicle.   
The jungle was unbroken in every direction, the van apparently stopped in   
the middle of nowhere. But this was what she had been expecting and she   
gestured silently for every soldier to shake their neighbor awake, if they   
weren't already. Two mercenaries with faces covered in green and brown camo   
paint rose silently to their feet and opened the doors of the van, slipping   
out into the dense foliage around them to disappear without a trace. The   
young woman gestured again, waving the rest of the soldiers out into the   
jungle. They all had their instructions hours ago, there was no need to   
speak and possibly alert camp guards.  
  
Once out of the van, she stepped quietly to the driver's side, jerking   
her thumb over her shoulder. The armored driver nodded and moved the van   
away, leaving the troops standing in the crushed vegetation. Turning   
back to the others, Shina chopped her arm down the middle of the group   
and waved to either side, indicating for them to split and circle in   
opposite directions of each other. She herself took point on the half   
moving west in single file, switching on her radio and putting on the ear   
piece with a microphone to the side of her mouth with one hand, others   
doing the same.  
  
The jungle was amazingly thick in some places, requiring a pause and   
the application of a machete. Twice in ten minutes, they met with armed   
scouts, but they were swiftly silenced, guns taken with the bodies left   
under cover of vegetation, to guard against discovery. When they reached   
their destination, an area of cleared jungle, slightly elevated from the   
surrounding forest to make it harder for snipers, the soldiers fanned out   
with a motion from Shina.  
  
"Spotted Marvel to Lion King and Red Hawk," she murmured into the microphone.   
"Five on smoke break, six on the perimeter. All armed." Crystalline blue   
eyes roamed the scene before her, picking out potential threats from the   
makeshift huts dotting the clearing. Over the crackle of the radio two   
voices spoke, rogering the information. One of them, a deep bass growl   
of a voice, continued with, "Add the smoke, Marvel, then go in. No snipes."  
Then the line was empty. She turned and mimed an overhand throw to the   
rest of the soldiers with her, then reached to her side and unhooked a small   
cylindrical device from her belt. Pressing the button on the top, she   
gestured one, two, three, then tossed the grenade into the midst of the   
group of smokers, where it exploded with a cloud of choking gray. The   
others around her launched their own grenades, until spreading puffs of smoke   
dotted the closest half of the camp. Soldiers ran out of the huts at the   
sounds of yells from the slowly choking men.  
  
Shina and crew lowered gas masks over their faces before they stepped into   
the clearing, all lowered towards the ground as far as they could while still   
remaining on two feet, the smoke being less thick near the dirt. The choking   
sounds of the opposing troops started to cut off as Shina's fellows swarmed   
over them, the sounds of gun shots bursting around them as those not covered   
by smoke got nervous and started shooting into the thick fog.  
  
The fighting marvel released her rifle, letting it hang from her body on its   
strap, instead sweeping out her machete and crawling forward on her belly.   
Legs appeared in her field of vision and she reacted instantly, depriving   
the soldier above her of one leg, bringing him down to her level with a slice   
of her blade across his throat, cutting off his screams. Blood now coated her   
hands and spattered across her gas mask, but she paid it no mind, continuing to   
crawl forward until she was even with one of the wooden huts, standing up   
silently with her back against it, pressed as flat as possible. All around her   
were the sounds, sights, and smells of death as her squad efficiently took   
out all opposition, but her own attention was not on them, but rather the   
sounds she heard coming from the hut behind her. Her ear pressed against the   
wood as blue eyes narrowed to keep a watch out for potential attackers. She   
mentally classified what she heard, two voices, both male.  
  
"Which faction?" questioned a growling voice Shina could have sworn she'd   
heard before.  
  
"Gado's. I even saw his little attack bitch," the second voice, unknown,   
answered. "What do you want us to do? They've already won, half the men   
are dead or wounded and close to it."  
  
"Little Marvel's here?" the first voice laughed. "Load the helicopters with   
what we have and get out. We'll meet at Carnevale. You know where." She   
felt a thrill of familiar anger burst through her. Little Marvel?!  
  
Sweeping back her right fist, she stepped back from the hut to get more   
space, smashing her fist forward against the wood and beyond. The wood split   
around her wrist, shattering in a large hole as she used her other hand to   
widen it. Immense strength brought to bear on the wall, until, in an   
instant, she was through and rolling across the ground in a dive. Even   
while moving, she took in the positions of the two men in the shabby little   
room, expressions of anger on their faces. Staying low to the ground in case   
of gunfire, she pulled up in a crouch and grabbed up a knife from the sheath   
in her boot, taking milliseconds to aim and toss the blade at one of the men,   
confident in her skill.  
  
But it was caught before it reached her target. Shina gasped, then released   
a growl of rage when she finally identified the man with the familiar voice,   
the one that had caught her knife. It had been a long time since she'd seen   
him, almost a year. She'd thought he was dead, in fact. But he looked   
perfectly fine now, with a short haircut and new clothing, not a mark on him   
that hadn't been there before. ShenLong, her friend Long's evil clone. The   
shock of seeing him slowed her for a few valuable seconds which the unidentified   
man took advantage of, dashing out of the hut and into the killing field outside.  
  
ShenLong laughed at Shina's surprise, flipping her knife in his hand slowly.   
For a while, it seemed like there was only the two of them, thoughts of the   
battle outside swept from her mind. "Look what the leopard dragged in. I'd   
heard you were with dearest daddy." His mad red eyes focused on her, still   
crouched on the dirt floor. He too was dressed for combat, sans armor, in a   
pair of loose dark brown pants and a black tank top, heavy boots on his feet.   
He seemed to be unarmed, except for his possession of her knife.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she demanded angrily, rising to her feet with her   
hands loosely held before her, as if expecting his attack at any moment. "What   
do you have to do with this?" The mission had seemed routine before, just   
little terrorist group making trouble for the locals, but this added whole new   
dimensions. Anything ShenLong was involved with was bound to be trouble. He   
had been an evil bastard the last time she met him and no matter what she heard   
about him in between, she believed he was one still. A tiger can't change his   
stripes.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." He mimed a pose of indignant   
innocence, but his laughter ruined it. It was a dark, cruel sound that made her   
shiver, her mind's eye overwhelmed by memories of the past. Being held down   
by a massive clawed paw while another set of claws swept repeatedly across her   
body.  
  
A nice, warm rage swept away the terrible memories, and now she was   
speaking through gritted teeth bared in a snarl. "Dad, this is Shina, ShenLong is   
here," she said into the microphone before she reached a hand up to pull it   
off, dropping it to the ground. A startled "What?!" came from the radio   
earpiece, the same voice that had responded as Lion King. Then she turned   
her attention back to ShenLong, just in time to see the knife flying at her,   
turning aside to catch it in her shoulder instead of where it had been aimed,   
her chest. Grunting with pain, she gripped the hilt of the blade and pulled   
it from her arm, blood flowing down her tanned skin.  
  
"Sneaky bastard," she growled as she rushed towards ShenLong, who stood there   
still laughing, right arm swinging out to catch him across the face with a   
right hook. The last thing she saw was a burst of light, and she was thrown   
backwards away from him by what felt like a giant hand swatting her. The   
hut collapsed around her, pinning her, a heavy beam smashing across the top   
of her head.   
  
"I.. can still.. fight!"


	2. Party Feelings

I don't own any of these characters, they're from Hudson's game Bloody Roar.  
Feel free to flame if you think I'm abusing them. I love reviews. And uh..   
Also, French is SO not one of the languages I'm even interested in learning,   
I could use some help with it. So feel free to do that too.  
  
  
  
A disgruntled young woman, dressed only in a sports bra and panties, sat on   
the edge of a hospital bed, bandages lacing her torso and shoulders, around   
her right thigh. She raked her fingers back through her spiky mass of   
blonde hair, glancing at the other two beds in the room. The occupants   
of the beds were passed out, which she was grateful for, because her father,   
Alan Gado, was standing before her with a stern look on his face. Getting a   
public dressing down wasn't what she thought of as a good time.  
  
"And you're not to leave the compound," Gado continued in what had obviously   
been a very long lecture, which he was fond of doing. Shina usually just   
spaced out while he droned on and on, but this time she listened to every   
word, blushing slightly in humiliation as she was effectively grounded from   
the action. After her performance in the last conflict, in which she'd had   
the bad judgment to let a building fall on her, Gado had decided his   
adopted daughter needed a little break from the fray. Even if he had to   
force her to take it. Parents! Gado wasn't usually the overprotective   
type but ShenLong's sudden reappearance and attack on his daughter seemed   
to have shaken him into the role.  
  
"I know!" she practically shouted, then lowered her voice, out of fear of   
waking up the other wounded soldiers and out of respect for her father.   
"I know. I'll stay here. I promise, Father." Shina raised her eyes to   
his with an ironic little smile playing across her lips. At twenty, she   
was held back from what she was allowed to do at fourteen. Damn ShenLong   
for coming back! Couldn't he just stay dead like normal people!?  
  
Gado, apparently satisfied, reached out to give her a swat on her uninjured   
shoulder before turning and walking from the room, leather boots clomping   
across the tiled floors. She waited for his footsteps to recede down the   
corridor out of hearing range before she got up to her feet and moved on   
silent, bare feet across the room to where fresh clothing was draped across   
the back of a chair. When she finished dressing, she wore an old navy blue   
t-shirt with "NOH CPR!" written across the front in silver lettering and a   
pair of blue jeans that'd seen better days, jagged rips splitting the fabric   
across both knees and on the backs of her thighs. Shina paused before she   
put on her socks and boots, deciding instead to carry them under her arm   
until she was out of the base's hospital, the better to sneak past the nurses   
and doctors silently. With her clothing on, the bandages weren't that visible   
anyway, and she could act healthy if she didn't move her left arm too much.  
  
Dundun, duh duh dundun! She almost felt like she was having too much fun   
with sneaking around the hospital, humming the Mission: Impossible theme   
very quietly to herself. Dirty Harriet, that's who you are! she thought to   
herself with a small smile as she pressed her back up against a wall and   
peered around a corner. All clear, she crept around to the next wall   
and tried to act innocent as she strolled out the EMS entrance with no one   
in sight. A majority of the troops had gone out with her father on recon.   
They were all still looking for ShenLong after he'd dropped a hut on her.   
She was still embarrassed by that. Only while lying in a hospital bed   
did she realize what had happened. ShenLong had changed into his other form,   
that of a half-tiger, half-man, and the force of the explosion had sent   
the hut down around their ears. In beast form, it wouldn't have hurt him,   
but she'd been human and it knocked her out.  
  
Shina forced herself to let all of that slip from her mind as she crouched   
behind a barrel filled with water at the corner of the hospital building,   
pulling on her boots and lacing them up at last. She straightened up with   
an inward cringe for her thigh and shoulder injuries, tugging at the   
hem of her shirt to make sure it covered all the bandages. The guards at   
the gate apparently hadn't received any orders concerning keeping her in   
the compound, which was uncharacteristically lax of Gado, but he had   
other things on his mind, or he just trusted her word that much. Which   
made her feel kind of bad for deceiving him, but she had things to take   
care of.  
  
With a wave to the soldiers as she passed, she drove out of the area with   
the Hummer she'd commandeered to get around the jungle surrounding the   
base, heading towards the bustling city of Rio de Janeiro. A little run   
in the sun during Rio de Janeiro's Carnaval would do her some good.....  
  
  
  
  
The city was so packed with tourists and drunken natives that she had to   
park the car outside of the city and go in on foot, which didn't make her   
injured leg feel any better. A piece of wood from the hut had sliced it   
open and every move pulled at the cut painfully until it was just a  
continuous throbbing ache. It took a lot of effort for her not to limp   
as she pushed her way through the crowds that were congregating around   
local bandas, bands that played only during Carnaval, congregating in   
one area of a neighborhood then touring down the streets in a planned route.   
Some of the music was actually pretty catchy and she found herself more   
that once pausing to listen and watch the samba dancers in their fabulous   
costumes.   
  
By the time she'd gotten through the third crowd of dancers, her face was   
daubed with face paint in the form of cat whiskers around her nose and   
mouth in black, with spiraling geometric shapes in rainbow colors on her   
throat and cheeks. Despite her reason for being there, and the inescapable   
pain in her thigh and shoulder, she was in a rather good mood. A smile   
had fixed on her face as she shuffled around on the streets, accepting a   
drink now and then until she felt a comfortable buzz. It made her a   
little less cautious than she ordinarily would have been. So much so that   
when an arm shot out of what she'd thought was a closed and locked building   
and grabbed her with a hand cupped over her mouth, all she had time for   
was a startled gasp and she was pulled inside.  
  
The door closed immediately and she recovered herself, pushing her elbow   
back into her attacker's gut, knowing she connected by the stifled "oof!"   
she heard behind her. It was enough to let her remove herself from his   
grip and whirl to face him with hands raised and curled into fists before   
her in a defensive stance.  
  
It was ShenLong, who was rubbing one hand across his midsection, smiling   
at her in a most unexpected and unwelcome manner. He looked like he was   
happy to see her, which made her all the more on her guard, even though   
the alcohol she'd consumed was slowing her reactions. "What are you   
grinning about, fils du chienne?" she demanded, breathing a little harder   
with the sudden rush of adrenaline.  
  
To her annoyance, he laughed at her overt hostility and swept his arms   
wide, as though he was going to hug her, making her jump back on her toes   
another foot or so away from him. "Shina, Shina, Shina, you're so damn   
feisty!" And he laughed again, with that crazed, cruel edge she'd always   
heard from him. "You were looking for me, weren't you?" he asked as   
though he knew the answer to the question already. "Well, here I am."  
  
While he was speaking, she glanced around at the corners of her eyes. The   
place looked like a normal living room, if a little shabby, it was even   
pretty clean. Was this where ShenLong lived? Surely not. Somehow it seemed   
..too domestic for someone like ShenLong. When she pictured him at "home,"   
it was always something like a dank cave or a mansion built on ill-gotten   
gains. There was no in-between. A smirk on her face, Shina looked back   
to ShenLong. "What're you doing in Brazil? Why aren't you dead?" Although   
they were both speaking calmly, for now, she didn't lower her fists,   
remaining in her stance, ready to fight. Just in case.  
  
"Would you believe me if I said I was looking for you?" An eyebrow raised   
over red eyes as he looked at her, also smirking.  
  
"No," was her prompt answer, with an incredulous laugh. "Those terrorists   
were here before I even landed on this continent."  
  
"Okay. You're right. I'm here for Carnaval." He smiled at her, tucking   
his hands into a pair of black silk pants. For the first time she noticed   
that he was shirtless, which made sense in the heat, but distracted her   
for the moment it took to watch a bead of sweat make its way down the middle   
of what was a rather nice-looking chest. Catching herself at it, as   
surely he had, it made her more defensive than ever.   
  
A strangled growl forced between her teeth and she stepped up before him   
with anger-driven speed, throwing her fist out across his face in a harsh   
backhand. He either hadn't seen it coming, or he was moving slow, because   
the blow caught him straight on, snapping his head to the side with a   
loud smack. When he turned his face back to look at her, she saw with   
satisfaction that a red mark was already blooming across his chiseled   
cheek bone.  
  
"That was uncalled for, little girl." ShenLong's voice was no longer   
patronizingly cheerful, lowered to a growl as his ruby eyes narrowed.   
"Don't you know when someone is trying to be... friendly?" The last   
word was emphasized by his right hand snapping out to grab her by her   
injured shoulder, fingers digging into the wound through her shirt and   
bandages painfully. She blanched white even under her deep jungle tan.  
  
He pulled her close, bodies almost touching, to growl into her face,   
eyes blazing with sudden anger. "I can show you how friendly I can be.   
I could teach you to be nice." His voice had dropped in volume again,   
and she could feel his breathe warm across the side of her face as he   
leaned in close to her, teeth grazing the curve of her ear. That snapped   
her out of her pained daze, and she brought her other arm up between   
at the same time as she stepped back, her fist flying up to uppercut him.   
His teeth had fastened around her ear and with the blow, it made him   
bite down hard enough to cut her skin, but his hold on her shoulder   
relaxed enough for her to escape and step further back.  
  
"Merde, but you are one sick bastard!" She brought up her injured, but   
not disabled leg, and kicked him twice in the stomach before spinning   
on the ball of her foot on the floor to let her heel roundhouse him   
across the face. ShenLong fell to the ground first on his knees, then   
dropped to his side, knocked out for the moment. Panting, Shina bent   
down cautiously with fingers stretched out to feel his pulse and make   
sure she hadn't killed him. Having ascertained that he was alive, she   
kicked him once in the stomach, winning a soft grunt from him as he   
started to wake.  
  
Later, she'd kick *herself* for it, but she left him there on the wooden   
floor of the house. She was confused by what had happened, plus, carrying   
a struggling ShenLong through crowded streets of humans wouldn't have   
been the easiest of tasks. Even knocked out, it would have been trouble.   
So Shina disappeared into the crowds once more without a backwards glance,   
wondering if she should have stayed at the base after all.  
  



	3. Interrupted Interlude

All of these characters belong to Hudson, in the Bloody Roar series! Romance is gonna   
be on the rare side in this story, and even then, it won't be traditional. Help me with my   
French if there's anything glaringly wrong in the stories, please. Peace out. ,v,,  
  
  
  
  
  
"JEEEEENNNNYYY! You don't have to put on the red light.. strut the catwalk for money! You   
don't care if it's wrong or if it's right! JEEEEENNNNNNY!! You don't have to wear that dress   
tonight!"   
  
Shina rolled her eyes as she shuffled down the corridor of her father's home in France towards   
her own Spartan room. Slick with sweat, fresh from her morning workout, she felt increasingly   
irritated by the booming singing voice. Standing beside her father's closed bathroom door,   
she heard it loudest of all. With an exasperated sigh, she flung the door open and peeked   
her head in.  
  
"JEEEENNNNYYYY! I won't share you with that insect Stuuuuun!" Gado was roaring rather   
unmelodiously into his hairbrush, wearing only a white towel around his waist, golden hair lank   
with water around his face.   
  
He blinked in surprise when he saw his daughter in the reflection of the bathroom mirror.   
She gave him a narrow-eyed "I hate you" look that all children give their parents at one   
time or another.  
  
"Mind keeping it down?" hissed Shina at him, pulling back from the bathroom before he   
could answer, closing the door behind her. Truthfully, it wasn't her father's embarrassing   
infatuation with Bat-Ho that had her in a bad mood, but it made a handy target. It was   
none of her business who her father slept with but hearing "Oo, you're so sexy when you're   
in pain!" through the walls every once in a while didn't make her feel very kindly towards   
the model/spy. It was just -weird!-  
  
Back in her own room, Shina let out a soft sigh, raking a hand back through her sweat-soaked   
hair, leaning her shoulders against her closed door. No, what was really bothering her.. was   
her weakness in the face of ShenLong. -Repeated- weakness. First she got her ass kicked   
then she failed to kill him when she had the chance. Of course, she hadn't brought up any   
of this to her father, she didn't dare think of what he'd say if he found out she snuck out of   
the base and met ShenLong in Rio de Janeiro. KP would be the least of her problems.  
  
But all that was weeks past. She'd left ShenLong in Brazil, and she could always hope she'd   
never see the crazy son of a bitch ever again. Hope springs eternal. So for now, she tried   
to concentrate on living her life normally, as she did when she thought ShenLong was dead.   
Reaffirming that to herself with a nod and a soft mutter of "Why does it matter anyway?!" she   
prepared the clothes she was going to wear for the day, grabbed her towel, and headed   
off to her own bathroom for a long shower.  
  
  
  
  
  
Long was seated on the Gados' plush couch, with his student Uriko pacing the large living   
room, peeking into crystal boxes and sniffing flowers. Surprisingly, Gado lived very well.   
Long had always privately assumed that he lived in a jumped up barracks, but was proved   
wrong when he finally visited him. Or rather, visited the other person that shared the house,   
Shina. Gado had told Long that Shina seemed a bit troubled and had invited him to France   
to find out what it was. He had also mentioned his daughter's run-in with ShenLong, and   
that, almost as much as his worry for Shina, had made Long drop his hermit ways for a little   
while and rush over, with Uriko in tow. The kitten thought it was a grand chance to go   
shopping in Paris.  
  
Gado had left the two of them in the living room, with a servant passing out tea in fine   
porcelain cups, going to find Shina and show her to their guests. But as it happened, Shina   
found them on her own. She'd been passing on her way from the bathroom to her room   
when she'd heard voices in the living room, going out of her way to go past the entry way   
and see who it was.  
  
Long's handsome face was made all the more dazzling by the light of his smile as he saw   
Shina, making her halt in her tracks with a surprised expression. She almost checked over   
her shoulder to see if he was smiling at someone else, but she knew there was just her.   
  
"Wow.. uh.. Long!" She cleared her throat and whipped the towel she'd been using to dry   
her hair off her head. Although privately, she didn't think that looked any better. "This is..   
a surprise. And Uriko!" She was on safer ground with the kid, nodding a greeting as Uriko   
waved cheerfully at her.  
  
"You can take me shopping in Paris!" Uriko exclaimed, as if it were the most fabulous idea   
she'd ever come up with. "I bet you know all the best places!" Shina blanched in horror   
and couldn't think of a thing to say for a moment. But she was saved from Uriko's   
enthusiasm by Long.  
  
"Your father invited us here," Long ran smoothly over Uriko's excited plans for her first   
European shopping trip. He pulled himself up gracefully to his feet, long-fingered hands   
smoothing nonexistent wrinkles from his blue silk mianzi and soft white cotton pants. "But   
I don't have business with him until tomorrow. Would you like to do something with Uriko   
and I today?"  
  
Gado came up behind Shina and swatted her across the shoulders while replying for her in   
a booming voice, "Of course she would! Still recovering, needs a break."  
  
Covertly, Shina glared at him. She was immediately suspicious about the whole thing. What   
would her father possibly want with Long? The man was practically a recluse!  
  
While Shina was considering mauling her father and making her escape while she could, Long   
was studying the leopardess. She didn't look very troubled to him, or even badly injured to   
him. But if Gado had noticed something, it must be there. The lion could be incredibly shrewd   
sometimes. Besides, Shina's company would not be unwelcome. She looked very attractive   
standing there, even in a smoldering fury. Fresh from the shower, her hair hadn't had time to   
harden into its usual spikes, hanging around her face with that soft wet look, very charming.   
Her clothing, despite the distinct lack of femininity, certainly did suit her; a white ribbed men's   
undershirt and a pair of navy blue cargo pants, tight across her hips and thighs. He was mildly   
amazed at the damage her delicate-looking feet could inflict as his eyes passed over them,   
peeking from under her pants.  
  
"What's going on here?" she asked flatly, in a tone that said she wouldn't believe the answer   
was "nothing." She glanced suspiciously from Long to Gado and long was forcibly reminded   
that no matter how pretty the warrior looked, she was clever in her own right.  
  
Uriko defused the situation, though, oblivious to the undertones of it all. "We just want you   
to get out more, that's all!" And she went over to wrap two of her arms through one of Shina's,   
beaming up at the taller woman. "Come on, it'll be fun! I promise. Now, where's your room?   
Do you have a CD player..?" Uriko's voice trailed off as she dragged Shina down the hallway,   
but not before the victim shot a venomous glare over her shoulder at Gado and Long.  
  
Alone, Gado glanced towards Long and released a low whistle. "Going to have your hands   
full with her for the rest of the day." The massive lion-man didn't make it sound like a bad   
thing, though. He enjoyed his daughter's feisty attitude, loved her very much. "Thought   
we were going to get it for a moment, there." His tone changed and his proud smile wilted   
around the edges, voice softening. "Thank you, Monsieur Jin. I'm not sure what happened   
but I know she's troubled."  
  
Before Long could respond, Shina and Uriko were back, the older woman striding very hard   
back to the living room in a pair of brown leather combat boots. Uriko came trotting after,   
holding up a long sleeve shirt made of sheer blue material. "But it would look so pretty   
on you! It matches your eyes!"  
  
Shina glanced at her father. He smiled at her.  
  
  
  
  
An hour later, Shina was seated in the driver's seat of a red car, speeding down the highway.   
Wearing a silky blue shirt over her men's undershirt and looking incredibly irritated about it.   
Long would have appeared to be thinking if she'd glanced over at him, but she didn't, hadn't   
looked at him since he smiled at her and told her how nice she looked with the sheer cloth   
added on. Uriko was gloating about the whole thing.  
  
"Don't reeeaaaally wanna make it tooouuugh, I just wanna tell you that I've had enough! It   
might sound crazy but it ain't no lie! Baby, bye, bye, bye!" Uriko warbled in the back seat,   
after she'd tired of pointing out shops she wanted to visit from her window. "IIIIII knoooow   
that I can't take no more, it ain't no liiiiiie! I wanna see you out that door; baby, bye, bye, bye!"  
  
Shina cringed inwardly. She was nice and all, but that kid yowled like a cat on a fence.   
Although admittedly, her voice was better than her sister Alice's. That rabbit-squeal got on   
Shina's nerves sometimes, especially when in her beast form, when her hearing was more   
acute. Mon dieu! she thought, trying to block out the singing. She could cut glass with that   
voice.  
  
Her nerves were already on the raw, so maybe she was being harder on the girl than she   
normally would be. Shina realized this and tried to soothe herself before she ran over a   
pedestrian.  
  
  
  
  
An hour after -that-, they were walking down a Parisian street packed with both natives and   
tourists, the former cursing the latter roundly in guttural French and Uriko oblivious to it all as   
she led Shina and Long on a merry chase through the streets, both of them loaded down with   
boxes for the teenager.  
  
"Do you think she'll grow out of it?" Long discreetly questioned Shina as they paced behind   
Uriko.  
  
Shina laughed and shook her head. "I have no idea. I never went through this stage."  
  
Yes, she -laughed!- She was in a much better mood, simply because Uriko's attitude was kind   
of catching (be perky with her or die!) and Long's company was just downright pleasant. He   
radiated elegant calm and she found herself unable to resist the soothing effects of his presence.  
  
  
  
  
And then they were seated at a stereotypical, yet quite pleasant, sidewalk cafe, discussing the   
finer points of martial arts (Shina and Long) and the Backstreet Boys (Shina and Uriko,) whom   
Shina had never heard of before. Uriko was shocked, nay, horrified by this information.  
  
"Nani!? Never heard of the Backstreet Boys? Not even AJ? He was just on the news, went into   
detox or something!" Uriko gasped, leaning forward across the wrought iron table and almost   
spilling her decaf (which both Shina and Long had insisted she have) with her elbow.  
  
"Uh.. no." Shina was taken aback by Uriko's attitude. Was this some heinous faux pas in the   
world, that she didn't really pay attention to modern music? A lot of the soldiers liked classic   
rock and that was about all she listened to. "I like.. The Eagles? Rolling Stones? Boston?"   
  
Uriko stared at Shina, then let out a laugh, leaning back in her chair as if it were too funny   
even for her. Long smiled in a politely puzzled way. Of course, he had no idea what either of   
them were talking about. He had been in a cave for eight years.  
  
Shina didn't understand what was so funny, either, but she smiled anyway.  
  
  
  
  
Shina was standing outside of a frilly looking shop, trying to prolong her soda for as long as   
possible so she'd have no excuse to go into the store, which forbade food or drink. Just eyeing   
the lace from the windows made her dizzy and slightly sick to her stomach.  
  
Unable to get Shina inside, Uriko had settle for Long as a fashion consultant. Not so privately,   
Shina was under the impression that neither of them were acceptable in this capacity, but since   
they were all the teenager had.....  
  
Sighing, she hit the bottom of her soda and reached out to deposit the empty cup in the nearby   
wasteba---  
  
  
Red eyes, suddenly close, too close. Where had he come from? Hot lips sealed over her own,   
taking by force what she wouldn't have given willingly. An arm locked about her waist and   
pulled her tight to the hard body attached. No time for more than a muffled gasp, not even a   
ghost of a struggle.  
  
  
---Just as suddenly gone. Shina left stunned and shaken on the sidewalk, dropping her cup   
with a styrofoam bounce to the cement. Only the bruised feeling of her mouth let her be   
certain that what she thought happened had indeed occurred. She raised trembling fingers   
to her lips, then abruptly clenched her hand into a fist, blue eyes blazing with instant rage.  
  
"He'll pay for that." She murmured to herself. Then her eyes turned outwards to the crowds   
around her, walking along blissfully unaware. "I've got a lot of debts to settle at your door,   
bastard."  
  
Long and Uriko came out of the store to find a pale and angry Shina waiting for them. Without   
a word being spoken, they knew the day was over. Even Uriko was subdued by the rage on   
the leopardess' face.  
  
The sleek Chinese scholar was left wondering what could have possibly happened to ruin   
their host's mood so completely and he watched her speculatively the whole drive home, until   
she disappeared into the house's gym without a word for the rest of the night.  
  
  
  
  



	4. A New Plan

It's all Hudson, baby. Help me with foreign languages if you notice something wrong!   
I keep having to change the summary of this story 'cause it keeps changing into different   
things, not quite what I expected. Yeah, I only generally know what will happen, dunno   
until it's down on my laptop. In fact, even then, I might change the story if I suddenly   
think it's stupid. So... be patient with my tinkering. ,v,,  
  
  
  
  
  
Gado was seriously dismayed by Long's failure to cheer up his daughter. The Kenpo   
master had explained what happened, but neither of them could make heads or tails of it.   
One moment, the woman was happy and amused, and the next, silent as a stone and   
enraged beyond all reason. Something must have happened while Long and Uriko were   
inside that store, leaving Shina alone outside.  
  
One attempt had been made to find out what it was, and then it was made by Long   
because Gado thought Shina might be tired of his paternal meddling/worrying. He knew   
she could handle herself, but he had the nagging suspicion that this all had to do with   
ShenLong, because that was when this had all started, and that was one influence he   
didn't want around his daughter.  
  
Long found Shina in the place that was virtually her home now, the gym. Admittedly,   
it was a very comfortable gym, with a couch, TVs, padded walls, and enough exercise   
machines and free weights for an army. No matter how comfortable, though, Long could   
tell Shina's body was starting to wear under the punishment of almost never leaving.   
As he watched from the doorway, every punch seemed to strain her more and more,   
until she started to lean against the punching bag instead of attack it. It was then that   
Long made his entrance.  
  
"Shina," the clear voice made her jump tiredly, turning to face him with her back leaned   
up against one of the padded walls. She seemed to have worked off a little of her anger   
with the majority of her energy, because the look she gave him was at least open,   
questioning without words what he wanted from her.  
  
Long hesitated for a moment, trying to decide how best to approach her. In the end   
he decided to be understanding, but honest and straight forward. She seemed like the   
kind of woman who appreciated absolute honesty.  
  
"I ...want to ask you what happened the other day in Paris," he began, fixing her with   
kind eyes. But he stopped when her face shut down, suddenly on guard. This frustrated   
Long terribly and he had to force himself to take a deep breath and keep speaking. "You   
were happy for a couple of hours, what happened? Your father and I ...I'm worried about   
you."  
  
He took a step towards her with his hand half-raised to her, but he stopped and let his   
hand fall back to his side when she turned her back to him. Her energy seemed   
renewed, because she let fly a forceful right hook to the punching bag.  
  
"Nothing happened." Her voice sounded muffled, as though she were speaking through   
clenched teeth, but he couldn't be sure because she was facing away. "I just ...got   
tired of shopping."  
  
Long stood watching the young woman take out her frustrations, not saying anything   
for a while. Shina started to think he had gone, was relieved that she wouldn't have   
to answer any of his awkward questions. Her face burned with humiliation every time   
she thought of the incident and she didn't want to share that with the handsome Chinese   
scholar.  
  
Then she felt a gentle touch on her right shoulder. In her mind, she knew it was Long,   
but her body reacted quickly of its own accord. She spun on the ball of one foot and   
brought the other up in a snap kick towards his abdomen.  
  
He was obviously surprised but very quick on his feet because her heel missed him   
by an inch; he'd thrown himself backwards when he surmised her intent. Looking at   
him, Shina realized there were reasons he'd been a top assassin.  
  
For a moment, they both froze where they were, Shina in a fighting stance, breathing   
hard, Long with his hands loosely at his sides, staring at her. Then slowly he raised   
his hands before him and took a fighting stance as well. If she needed to work out   
her frustrations on something living, he would oblige while making sure she didn't hurt   
anybody, least of all herself.  
  
Even the floors were padded, so even when Long swept her legs out from under her   
with one foot, she wasn't too stunned and she managed to roll away and up to her   
feet before his heel descended on her stomach. Once on her feet, she got in one   
punch to Long's side, under his ribcage, before he caught her wrist and released   
three jabs to her own side under her arm.  
  
Hissing with pain, she pulling back away from him, the length of both their arms,   
and swept up her foot in crescent, catching him across the face. Released, she stepped   
back, but not in time to get out of range of his own feet. The Kenpo master had   
kicked her in the midsection twice and up under her chin before she had even blinked.  
  
Something occurred to her, a nagging memory coming to the surface. The sudden   
look of realization on her face stopped Long from closing the distance between them   
again.  
  
"You ...could teach me your style," Shina said slowly, wiping her fingers at the bit   
of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth. She'd just remembered that ShenLong's   
style of fighting was very like Long's. If she was taught by one, she could counter the   
other.  
  
Long was on the verge of refusing because he suspected her reasons for wanting to   
learn were less than the search for enlightenment. But it would allow him to keep an   
eye on her and maybe ...she needed it. He took a deep breath and let out a slow   
sigh. Shina was staring at him, as if the whole matter was much more important than   
it seemed. That, more than anything, made him nod. "All right."  
  
She released a breath she'd been holding in almost a sob of relief. Working herself   
as she had been hadn't made her any surer she could beat ShenLong, but she felt   
positive that this would do the trick.  
  
"Thank you, Master Jin." Her smile was sudden and lovely, even with the blood   
on her mouth. He could feel her relief and it made him worry all the more. He   
stood looking at her for so long, obviously thinking about something, that at first she   
thought he might be reconsidering. Then he stepped back into his fighting stance   
and beckoned her close.  
  
"Let's see what else you have." And the training began.  
  
  
  
  
No one asked her again what had happened when Long and Uriko went into the   
shop, and her new course of training made her feel that at least she was doing   
something constructive. She sparred with Uriko and Long, sometimes with just   
Kenpo, other times with her own fighting style mixed in. Every day was filled with   
exertion from dawn to dusk.  
  
In reality, Shina was just waiting for ShenLong to show himself once more, and   
doing what she could to prepare for that moment. She swore to herself that he   
would not catch her unaware again.  
  
  
  
  
I was already there, though she didn't know it. Gado's security was no joke, but   
I'd been a professional, once upon a time. Both as myself and in Long's jumbled   
memories. Sometimes it blurred together.  
  
I watched my little Marvel push herself, then I watched Long push her as well. I   
knew what she was doing. She was waiting to see me. I burned to show myself   
to her, I really did. But I was so confused.. I didn't know exactly what I was doing.   
That afternoon in Paris was me losing control. I'm not sure what came over me.  
  
Sometimes I felt like a little child, wondering what was going on. I had so many   
conflicting feelings inside of me. After Long had.. had.. what had he done? He   
made me see the error of what I was doing. Made me see I was a puppet for   
Busuzima. Shown me that I was a -clone- and not myself at all, as I had thought.   
  
After that, the months were a haze of drinking. I know I had traveled all over the   
world, but all I seemed to have seen were the insides of bars. Brawling was fun.   
I knew it was something Long wouldn't engage in, but that was part of why I did   
it. I know I'm a clone, but I wanted.. -needed- to be separate, different, myself.   
Eventually, one of those Brazilian terrorists, really just jumped up drug smugglers,   
found me on a barroom floor. He found I knew a lot about organizing international   
terrorist actions. I may not have really been in the driver's seat the first time, with   
Busuzima, but I'd learned a little something.  
  
Plus, it was something to do besides drink and fight. It made me feel useful.   
I could have helped the terrorists recover after that rout at Gado's hands but a   
new obsession had already overtaken me. I realized that what I needed was   
someone who could understand my drive, my love for the kill. The adrenaline   
rush, the feeling of power, was unmatched by any other experience I'd yet   
had in my short life.  
  
Long wouldn't understand. He'd given up all that, hadn't he? Sealed himself   
away in a cave and left the world on its own while he ate cave bugs and bats   
to survive, I gather. Stun was equally pathetic. Gado would rip me to shreds   
before he asked any questions. In fact, he still might if he caught me near   
his daughter. I knew she wouldn't tell him, though, my little Marvel. She too   
felt the need to do everything -herself.-  
  
Yes, she was the only choice, the best choice. And she was so beautiful   
when she was angry.. when she was happy.. really, any time. I was quite   
beside myself with the need to.. experience.. her. Perhaps there were better   
ways to go about it, but I didn't know what they were. Long, for all his   
handsome looks, wasn't exactly a ladies' man. At least, from what I could   
see of his memories. His memories that I'd once thought were -mine!- And   
all the experiences I'd had with women since were not what I wanted to   
have with Shina. Those were whores and barflies; she was so much higher   
than that.  
  
Sometimes I couldn't help myself, I had to touch her. That's what had   
happened in Paris. I knew it scared her, but I also knew she wouldn't flee.   
She was a woman to face her fears head on and beat them to a pulp until   
she was no longer afraid.  
  
I didn't really want to fight her, and yet.. I did. I wanted to hear that leopard's   
fierce roar, watch the fluid movements of her body as she avoided my own   
claws. But I didn't really want to hurt her, did I?  
  
So confused....  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. A Rainy Midnight Run

Alright, I beg your forbearance. I know it's been an unforgivably long time since I updated this story.  
But something reminded me of it and I checked the reviews that continued on even after I stopped writing.  
Flattered, I feel obligated to at least give it another go at finishing this thing. Dunno how far I'll be able to  
get with it. Just a warning, my friends: I don't know if I'm the writer you all think I used to be, heh.  
All the characters belong to Hudson, as always in the past. Thank them for their awesome character  
concepts! All language mistakes are correctable if you just tell me about them.  
  
Shina tossed and turned in her narrow bed, barely bigger than a soldier's  
cot in the barracks. The only difference being that hers had extra padding  
and fluffier pillows with hotel quality sheets. In her restless sleep, she flung  
one arm out to the side and hit the lamp on her nightstand. The lamp did not  
survive the impact, shattering loudly.  
  
Awakened by the noise, Shina smoothly rolled off the bed across from the  
nightstand and yanked a long knife from its hiding place between her mattress  
and boxspring, her pale blue eyes darting around the room to take in any threat.  
Her gaze fell on the broken lamp, then to the shallow cuts on her left hand from  
the shattered glass. With a soft snort of disgust she shoved the knife back  
home and set about cleaning up the mess. She hadn't really liked that lamp  
anyway and it's not like she needed it. If she really wanted it, she could see  
in the dark any time she wished.  
  
Knowing she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, the young woman just  
left her room and headed for the kitchen. Shina made no effort to move silently.  
The soldiers living in and around the property were mostly combat veterans  
and anything that smelled of stealth to them was greeted with blades and guns  
first, with "I'm sorry"s and questions asked later. In the kitchen, she hesitated  
between beverages and settled on dipping into her father's Grey Goose vodka  
a little. The dream that had caused her to react so violently had not been a  
pleasant one.  
  
The window in the kitchen revealed a storm breaking over the mansion and it  
was seconds after the first few lightning flashes that the rain began to pound  
against the glass. A real storm, not some irritating drizzle that just made it humid  
for a few days after. Shina paused to stare through the window broodingly  
while the vodka burned a path down her middle. After returning the Grey  
Goose to its place, she headed towards the front door.  
  
If the two men guarding the main entrance to the mansion saw anything unusual  
about her mode of dress- an old wifebeater shirt that might once have been Gado's  
and a pair of leopard print boxers -they didn't remark upon it. Nor did they say  
anything about the harsh weather.  
  
"I'm going for a run," she announced to them. When one lived in a virtually locked  
down compound, one had to notify people of these things so as not to get shot.  
She'd been shot plenty of times before and didn't want to add in experiences with  
friendly fire. The two guards once more did not comment, not even on the lack of  
shoes on her feet, just passing on the warning through their headsets. She waited  
for confirmation that the notice had been received then took off like a shot into  
the rain-soaked darkness.  
  
Not everyone liked running. Most people viewed it as a chore they'd never perform  
again outside of grade school gym classes. But then again, most people didn't  
have an inner beast like Shina's, aching for action with every breath. Sometimes she  
just felt the need to race. Not against anything in particular. Or maybe against herself.  
Her father was not the running type, taking after the personality of his own lion  
alter ego, powerful but slow. Shina ran for the sheer joy of it, moving in a blur  
past sentries and cameras and out-buildings until she reached the perimeter fence,  
a massive concrete structure rimmed with curls of razor wire.  
  
Nearing the wall, she gave a fluid spring and tucked herself into a forward roll, just  
barely clearing the wicked razors. On the other side she landed in a crouch in the  
mud, although she took no notice of it. By now her clothing was plastered close  
to her skin and her normally spiked blonde hair was slicked backwards against  
her skull. A little mud wasn't going to hurt her.  
  
The area surrounding the wall was cleared of trees and other visual obstructions  
for a hundred yards in every direction, so the cameras set along the fence  
clearly recorded her mad dash into the forest beyond but lost sight of her soon  
after. The leopard-spirited woman ran a circle through the trees around the  
property, dodging through the woods with feral ease. There was no room for  
thought when she ran through in the forest, another thing she liked about it. One  
saw and reacted instantly, with no time to deliberate, or one ran straight into  
a tree. There were few things in life as clear and simple as running.  
  
Her brain was on auto-pilot and that was really her only excuse for failing  
to notice that she had company for a few seconds. Someone was running  
along side her, a black shape seen only from the corner of her eye. With a  
snarl she threw herself sideways into a crouch among the leaves, fingers  
digging deep into the mud for purchase to keep from sliding with her momentum.  
  
The figure also stopped running, and although he was clad in black from head  
to toe, nothing could disguise the red of his eyes from her searching gaze.  
He held perfectly still, his breathing sending out small clouds of steam in  
the cold rain.  
  
For a moment they remained like that, as each made up their minds about what  
to do or say. ShenLong broke the silence first, pulling down the mask over the  
lower part of his face to reveal a slight smile.  
  
"Kitten, I know you favor leopard print but surely you could have found  
something sexier to greet me in." The words were mocking but his tone was  
almost hesitant, questioning. He was offering humor.  
  
Shina's mouth opened in a leopard's challenging roar and answered him with  
violence. She launched herself at him and sent them on a roll across the  
leaf-strewn ground, each grappling for control. For a second it appeared  
that ShenLong's superior strength had her pinned, sitting across her stomach  
with her hands held to the ground under his knees. Before he had time to  
do more than give her a leer, their positions changed.  
  
With a grunt of effort and bunching of her abs under him, Shina rocked  
her legs up behind him and locked her ankles around his throat. A flex  
of her powerful legs sent him flying through the air, fetching up against a  
tree in a shower of shaken leaves.  
  
He didn't even have time to get to his feet before the leopard in human  
form was on him. Her fingers were like a vise around his throat and her  
face was an inch from his, lips twisted in an enraged snarl. She looked  
seconds from tearing out his windpipe. He could almost see it in her  
pale blue eyes. When she spoke, her voice had lowered an octave.  
Gutteral and raw.  
  
"What. Are. You. Doing. Here!" Her voice rose to another leopard's  
scream with the last word and she shoved him harder against the tree,  
her grip just this side of crushing his windpipe. He could honestly say  
to himself that she'd never looked more beautiful and wild.  
  
Her hand made it hard for him to speak so he just smiled again and slowly  
raised his hands in a helpless shrug, as if to show he meant no harm. Just  
that fast she was then the one flying through the air to land a few feet away.  
He'd socked her one in the solar plexus, hard enough that she could  
almost feel a crack in her sternum.  
  
Gasping for breath, she curled in on herself for a moment, trying to recover  
enough to get up. ShenLong used the time to haul himself to his feet, a  
black-gloved hand rubbing at his abused throat. With a cough, he stood  
over her and looked down, but kept far enough back to seem out of reach.  
  
"Little Marvel, we've got to stop meeting like this. I was just out for a  
stroll through the woods. It's such a nice night." His voice held no humor  
this time, only sheer mockery.  
  
Shina didn't answer, her leg flying out to attempt to sweep him but he was  
prepared for the move and simply stepped out of range. Recovered  
enough to stand, she leaned against a tree at her side, with shoulders  
still hunched a little.  
  
"Better places to stroll.. than here," she panted, glaring at him through  
soaked blonde bangs. "I suggest you go find one."  
  
ShenLong didn't say anything else for a few seconds, just looked at her.  
It was then that she became more aware of what she must look like. As  
soaked and irritable as a drenched kitten, with mud covering her back and  
lower legs. But worse, much worse, that old wifebeater she slept in wasn't  
hiding anything.  
  
Her face burned as she folded her arms across her practically exposed  
breasts, shivering with barely checked rage that was only fueled further  
by her embarrassment. It was easy to ignore that kind of thing in a fight  
but he was just standing there! Looking at her!  
  
"Well?" she snapped. "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?  
Or you just going to stand there looking at me?"  
With a quiet laugh and a shake of his head he pulled his black long-sleeved  
shirt over his head, tossing it to her. She caught it in one hand and  
debated between modesty and killing him. But to tell the truth, she  
wanted a few answers out of him before she silenced him forever and  
she would be more comfortable. And if he wanted to shiver in the cold  
rain so much the better.  
  
She took a few steps back to put a little more distance between them before  
she pulled on the shirt. Just in case he decided to jump her in her second  
of blindness. The fabric smelled of cinnamon, she noticed distractedly.  
  
While she was donning the shirt, ShenLong started speaking. It was a  
return to his hesitant voice. "I'm... sorry about Paris." He leaned his  
naked back up against the rough bark of a tree and shoved his big  
hands into his pants pockets.  
  
Shina eyed him suspiciously, obviously expecting treachery. "You're  
what?? Sorry? You.. you.. you kissed me," she sputtered. She  
was having trouble knowing what to say. Her eyes followed the progress  
of a bead of water down the front of his chest, over the ridges of the  
well-defined muscles on his abdomen, down down down to the top  
of his pants.  
  
He didn't even try to deny it. He just shrugged those broad shoulders  
and watched her watch him.  
  
She waited for a moment, waited for him to answer. "No explanations?  
Not going to say anything?" She stalked towards him angrily and got  
up in his face, poking a finger sharply to the middle of his so-attractive chest.  
"Say something, bastard!"  
  
When he kissed her, she wasn't taken entirely by surprised. She'd been  
hoping for it in a small, nay miniscule, corner of her heart. That tiny portion  
briefly overwhelmed the rest of her good sense temporarily and she did  
not pull back immediately from the kiss.  
  
The tiger-man's mouth was soft as silk on hers but his body was wonderfully  
hard when he snaked one arm around her waist and drew her close. She  
meant to push him away again but her palm met his bare skin and her  
intentions melted away.  
  
It was over far too quickly (for him) or not soon enough (for her). But it  
was definitely over when her fist connected with his face in a savage right  
hook. Shina jerked herself backwards out of his arms even as he stumbled  
away, caught completely by surprise.  
  
"Stop doing that!" she practically spat out the words.  
  
To drive home her point, she once more closed the distance between them  
and let fly with a flurry of blows to his midsection. She had the satisfaction  
of hearing a couple of ribs crack and then he fell to the ground and curled  
in on himself with a groan. A last kick rolled him over on his back and she  
leaned over to look him in the face, blue eyes to red.  
  
"And stay the fuck away from our property." The young woman left him  
there without a backwards glance and headed back to her home.  



End file.
